Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I finished another banner while I was visiting in Texas last week. The first banner I made was out of fabric and I gave it to a friend to use in her classroom. This one is made from various papers in a style I saw on Creative Breathing. I used images from my and my SIL"s childhood. I went looking for these favorite images and found out that they were originally manufactured in Pittsburgh,PA. Imagine that!!!! Wish I lived here then. Maybe I could have had some originals. a friend did bring me some decorations that her mom still has so I could scan them for the image. Most of the other images came from various sources. They are reproducing these images but I'm not sure if they are still made in Pittsburgh. I am still researching this.

I remember my teachers having them as classroom decorations. My mom owned a few too. Of course the more research I did I found the astronomical prices they are going for on sites like Ebay. I guess there's a whole sector of "my" age group wanting to enjoy them.

I warn you this post is picture heavy. But this was a labor of love for me. My SIL loves Halloween.

The "o" was my favorite and it was the unclearest picture. It was more vibrant than it shows. See "pride goeth before the fall". Shouldn't have been so "proud" of my O

The researching for images has been so much fun. I learned a lot in the process too. I tell my girls " a day without learning anything new is a wasted day. There is so much out there to learn."

Thursday, September 9, 2010

I found the most wonderful blog a couple of weeks ago, Creative Breathing. She is definetly not prim but her creativity is outstanding. She had made a fall banner and was hosting a Halloween banner swap with some of her friends. I looked at it and thought of all the Halloween prints I had left over from making my Halloween quilt. It got the old creative juices flowing.

It is definetly not prim but I was really happy with it. It will go to a friend of mine. She will use it in her classroom then at home. She will really like it.

Here are the close ups.I was doubly proud of this banner because I purchased nothing new for it. I had all the Halloween fabrics and I used only what I had. The ribbon I had purchased some time ago at a garage sale so for practically nothing I have a cute finished project.

I am flying to Texas to visit my brother and sister and their families next week and am taking supplies to make paper banners. Wait till you see the images I've printed to use on them. I will be spending time with my SIL while my brother is at work. It will be the perfect creative time. This is a total R&R break for me. I am going alone. Just to sit and visit with Theresa. Of course Ron has a project or 2 lined up for us as well.

You must check out Elizabeth's blog and see her completed banners and tags. Her writing is also wonderful. It took me 2 weeks of reading but I started at her first post and worked forward. Her writing style is so interesting. And the stories she tells. It's a must read. One of the most important things I took away from her was it's OK to be creative and enjoying it. I needed to hear that and start working again.

I finished a table runner for me. I have a similar one in Christmas fabrics I love so I tried this one in Reproduction Civil War prints. I love how it turned out.

The sun has made it appear more pastel but it really has more rich coloring. I hadn't machine quilted in awhile so this was a nice refresher.

It is starting to cool off so I will be returning to projects. One a day finished would be nice but that would require doing nothing for hubby or the girls. Fat chance of that.

So no matter what you medium just keep on creating (and sharing of course) we in blogland love to see what others are doing.

About Me

I live in suburbia with my DH and my 2 girls 15 and 16. I love primitives and vintage and antique textiles. Anything old is my motto. And the older the better. Creating is what drives me. Join me as I walk through the journey of life.